Ib7 SO, 1867. ] 



JOUBMAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



S8» 



Shaxj:. Iris— pROPAOiTiKa Strawberries (H. K. O.). — Your specimen 

 is Terry imperfect. It seems bo either Iris biglamis, rnthenic*, or pnmlla 

 csemlea. nJJ of which will bear the thick, dwarf, pretty character you give 

 your plant, making it so tit for a border-edgin;; plant. With regard 

 to Strawberry ranners, the first runner formed is by no means uniformly 

 barren, it ja nlways the strongest ; and the second and third runners, 

 tboBgh weaker, are generally more fruitful. Wo would rather avoid 

 taking runners from plants of last August which have not bloomed, and it 

 other plants are plentiful we would not preserve such. As to plants 

 of the age referred to which did not flower, but showed knots of embryo 

 bloom, which cnme to nothing, you may keep the plants, also the runners 

 from them, if desirable and scarce, as we often find that plants that show 

 Bucb a deficiency in fructification when forced, will fruit freely in the 

 aatnmn and in the following season; but when there is abundant 

 room for selection, it is just as well to avoid all such specimens in taking 

 rnoners, as there is always the tendency, however small it may be, to 

 continue snch peculiarities. In large places it is next to impossible to 

 attend to these little matters, whilst amateurs by doing so will ensure 

 greater success. 



Soil for Camellias (AnTiou3).—T'he best soil for Camellias is a good 

 light loam pared off a pnsture to the thickness of about 1^ inch. This 

 should be torn in pieces with the hand, and made rather small for such 

 plants as yours. They ought to be potted now in seven-inch pots. The 

 pots shonJd be well drained, and the compost pressed rather tightly 

 about the plants, keeping the collar of these rather high. Having no 

 greenhouse you may place the plants in a cold frame, and after giving a 

 gentle syringing and a good watering draw on the lights. The plants 

 should have air from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. by tilting the lights at back, and 

 if the days are bright a thin mat thrown over the glass from 9 a.m. to 

 S P.M. will keep the foliage from spotting. At five o'clock water, if neces- 

 Bary, and give a sprinkling overhead every day, shutting up the frame 

 afterwards. This treatment may be continued until the plants have 

 made their growth, when they should have air day and night, but about 

 twice as much by day as night, and a slight shade may be afforded them 

 during the hottest part of the day, otherwise afford abundance of air 

 and all the light possible. Keep them well watered, but do not keep the 

 soil in ft saturated condition. 



Violets in Pots (Idem). — The ranners should be taken off and potted 

 iii_ small pots in a compost of turfy loam and leaf mould, with a free ad- 

 mixture of sand. The old plants may be divided, potted in small pots, 

 aod placed nith the runners in a cold frame, a gentle watering being 

 given. Sprinkle the plants overhead morning and evening, and keep 

 them close and shaded until they are growing freely. You must then ad- 

 mit air and diminish the amount of shading, dispensing with it altogether 

 in a few days, or as soon as they will bear sun. In July shift them into 

 4j-inch pots, and the most promising may, early in September, have six- 

 inch pots. They should be well watered, but not excessively, and have a 

 good watering overhead on the evenings of hot days. The lights should 

 be drawn down after the plants become established. They are the better 

 of a rather shady place from May to September. Winter in a cold frame, 

 the pots being plunged in coal ashes, with air during mild weather, and 

 the protection of mats over the lights during severe frosty weather. 



Chinese Primulas after Flowering (Idrm). — They should be placed 

 in a cold frame and have air plentifully. Towards the end of Juue you 

 will see which are worth keeping, and these you may pot in the same- 

 sized pots as before, most of the old soil being shaken from them. The 

 lights should be drawn on closely, and a very light sprinkling of water 

 0ven every evening, with shade from bright sun. When the plants re- 

 cover from the potting admit air freely, and keep them well supplied with 

 water. At night the lights may be drawn off and replaced in the morning, 

 tilting them high at back, during dry hot weather, and when heavy rains 

 occur. In August shift the plants into six-inch pots, pursuing the same 

 treatment as before. The plants will bloom finely in autumn, all bloom 

 stems showing before September being pinched off closely. It is only 

 the best that are worth keeping, for seedlings arebetterfor a late autumn 

 and spring bloom. 



MmuLUS MACuLosus Culture (MimuJus). — We think yonr plants have 

 gone off in consequence of mildew, caused by their close confinement in 

 scold frame; but your description being too incomplete to enable us to 

 arrive at a satisfactory conclusion, we cannot advise. We are not quite 

 sure that the plants were not destroyed by the severity of last winter's 

 frost, for although plants might sur^'ive out of doors, others in a frame 

 might be frozen, the former having such a good covering of snow. You 

 may sow seeds in the beginning of August in order to raise plants for 

 next year's bloom. Sow in a close cold frame, grow the plants on. pot them 

 off when large enough, and winter them in small pots on a shelf near the 

 glass in a greenhouse. The soil should be kept moist over the winter, and 

 pot as often as the pots become filled with roots. They require protection 

 from frost. We like M. maculosus best, but both are worth growing. 



ToDEA suPEEBA Fronds Browned (IT. N^.—The fronds sent appear 

 to have bten scorched by a cuiTent of cold, dry air. We think there is a 

 deficiency of atmospheric moisture. We would advise a little more heat to 

 be given, and the atmosphere to be kept more humid. The brownness 

 does not arise from damp, nor yet closeness of atmosphere, but from dry- 

 ness with coid. 



CcTTiKO DOWN Stephanotis (F.ff. F.).—Xi i» not desirable to cut back 



the shoots of this plant, as they flower very freely from moderately strong 

 shoots. It 19 generally suflSclent to thin out the old, weak, and useless 

 ehoots, and to train the young in their places. Thia should be done annu- 

 ally. As your plant is bare at bottom, cut it in to within a few inches of 

 the soil, the shoots having dormant buds or eyes below where headed; 

 but it will not flower next year. If yon cut it back one-half it is likely It 

 will be aa bare of shoots at the bottom as ever. It should be plunged ia 

 the pit for some time to secure the breaking of the buds and a good 

 growth. The latter cannot be too well ripened. 



Raising Aucuba japonica from Seed (H.F. S.).— The seed should ba 

 taken from the berry and sown in a compost of rather light loam. Tho 

 pot or pan may be placed in a house with a moderate heat, as a warm 

 greenhouse, and if the soil is moist the seeds will vegetate before August, 

 or in spring. They germinate sooner if sown in a hotbed. If they do 

 not vegetate at once keep the soil moist but not wet, and plants will 

 come within twelve months. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe, 

 or in March if purchased. Any of the principal nurserymen can supply 

 you with the Verbenas yon require. 



Peach and Nectarine Blooms Falling Prematubelt (A Puzzled. 

 Man). — With respect to the trees which failed in the orchard-house where 

 others succeeded, though all were treated alike, we come to the conclu- 

 sion, either that the trees which bloomed freely, but refused to set their 

 fruit, were too dry at the roots, or the wood was more luxuriant, and 

 therefore more imperfectly ripened last autumn tkan the trees that re- 

 tained their fruit. 



Runners from Unfruitful Strawberries (^m«z).— We have taken 

 runners from plants not fruiting, and they produced as good a crop as 

 those from fruitful plants. We prefer, however, runners from fruitful 

 plants. We are not so particular in this matter with the newer sorts, 

 but you will do well to take runners from fruitful plants only. 



Alotsia citbiodora Propagation 'A. B.)-— Cuttings maybe taken from 

 the shoots of the current year, and such are best when from 3 to 6 inches 

 in length, and when the wood is about half ripe, or a little hardened, but 

 not woody. They should have three joints, and not exceeding four if 

 short -jointed. The leaves should be removed from the lowest two joints, 

 and the cutting be cut through with a sharp knife immediately below the 

 lowest joint. A six-inch pot is large enough for a dozen cuttings. Tho 

 pots should be drained to one-third their depth, and then be filled up 

 with a compost of sandy loam, fibrous peat, and silver sand in equal 

 parts, surfaced with silver sand. The cuttings are to be inserted in the 

 Band up to the leaves or nearly so, and placed round the sides of the pot 

 at about an iuch apart. A gentle watering being given the pot should 

 be plunged in a mild hotbed of from TO"* to 75^ and slightly shaded from 

 bright sun. The atmosphere should be moist, and the sand also, but not 

 excessively so, otherwise the cuttings will damp off; if the atmosphere is 

 close they will soon root, and be fit for potting-off singly in six weeks. 

 Harden them ofl' when well established. 



Compost for Crotons (J Novice).— y^e find them succeed admirably 

 in a compost of turfy loam, sandy fibrous peat, and leaf mould in equal 

 parts, with about one-sixth pieces of charcoal from the size of a hazel 

 nut down to that of a pea, and a like quantity of silver sand. The loam 

 may be torn in pieces with the hand, the pieces of root or wood should ba 

 picked out of the peat, aud the leaf mould should be sifted with a three- 

 quarter-inch riddle. The whole must be well mixed. The whole of tha 

 Crotons require a winter temperature of from 55^ to 60° at night, and 

 from 65^ to 70^ by day, and in summer a temperature of between 65' and 

 75-, with a rise of 10^ or 15^ with sun and air. They cannot have too 

 much light. Liquid manure may be given when the pots are fall of 

 roots and the plants growing vigorously, it may be afforded once a-week. 

 It is not necessary, however, for the growth of fine Crotons. 



Cucumbers in Pots {.4»ia(eur).— We have grown very fine Cucumbers 

 in 12-inch pots, but we prefer them in those 15 inches in diameter. We 

 put in the plants from the pots they are in after potting off, the plants 

 being strong ones that have been stopped. The fruiting-pots are three 

 parts filled ^vith soil, and the plants put in in the centre and up to tha 

 seed leaves in the soil. As they grow more soil is added, and we fill to 

 the rim at twice, the first earthing being given a fortnight after potting, 

 and the second in ten days or so afterwards. In about another fortnight 

 we give a top-dressing of rotten manure an inch thick, and water once 

 or twice a-week with liquid manure. 



Grub (C C. iJ.).— The grub which had destroyed tho root of the Straw- 

 berry plant is the larva of the common May Bug, or Cockchafer, Melo- 

 lontha vulgaris. 



Names of Plants {A Svhscriher).—!, Azalea pontica ; 2, Ranunculus 

 aconitifolius, double-flowered variety; 3, Saxifraga granulata, double- 

 flowered. [A Constant Eeader, and C. TF.).— The Bird Cherry, CerasuS 

 padus. (Jo/in).— Halcsia tetraptera. (Clee Hill).— The Homed Violet, 

 Viola cornutn, a native of Spain, and introduced nearly a century ago. 

 (.J. A'.).— Sophora (Edwardsia) microphylla; Andromeda sp. (An Ama- 

 teur).—l, Nerium oleander: 2, Phytolacca decandra; 3, Solanum nigrum. 

 (C. M.I.— The Cytisus, growing as a standard budded upon a Laburnum 

 is C. sessilifolius. (Bradford].— I, Picea pindrow ; ti, Abies oyientalis ; 

 3, Abies Hudsonii ; 4, Cephilotaxus drupacea ; 5, Abies Douglasii. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of Londom for tbe Weok ending May 23th. 



BABOMETEB. 



Max. Min. 



■Wed. . 22 

 Thurs. 23 

 FW. .. 24 

 Sat. .. 25 

 Son... 26 

 Mon... 27 

 Tnes. . 2j 



Mean 



30.041) 

 30 101 

 30.125 

 30.044 

 29.640 

 29.6al 

 29.807 



29.912 



29.919 

 29.937 

 3a.03S 

 29.803 

 29.633 

 29.557 

 29.759 



29.795 



THERMOMETER. 



31 

 43 



44 

 47 



34.71 



1 It. dp. I 2 ft. dp. 



53 

 51 

 50 

 50 

 50 

 50 

 60 



51 

 50 

 49 

 49 

 49 

 49 

 50 



49.57 



W"*- inehes. 



N.E. 

 N.E. 

 N.E. 



E. 



S. 



S. 

 S.W. 



.12 

 .00 

 .00 

 .35 



.02 

 .00 

 .00 



0.49 



Genebal Reuabes. 



Clear and cold ; snow mixed with hail ; overcast, rain. 

 Cold and boisterous ; heavy clouds ; fine, frosty. 

 Heavy clouds ; ciondy ; finV; sharp frost at night. 

 SliRht dry haze ; cloudy; densely overcast at night. 

 Rain ; fine ; cloudy ; fine at night. , 



Heavy clouds ; cloudy and fine ; very fine at night. 

 Densely clouded ; cloudy and fine ; mild at night. 



